Substantially transparent conductors (also referred to herein simply as “transparent conductors” or “transparent conductive materials”) are electrically conductive materials that can be substantially transparent to light when formed, for example, as a thin film. Because of their combination of optical and electrical properties, thin films of substantially transparent conductors have found uses in a variety of products, such as liquid crystal displays, touch screens, anti-static coatings, solar cells, etc. In some applications, a thin film of transparent conductor can be formed as a layer in a stack up of multiple layers of materials including, for example, semiconductor layers, insulating layers, metal layers, etc. Organic layers, i.e., layers formed of organic material, can also be used in some stack ups. Organic layers are typically insulating layers that can be formed by a mechanical application of the organic material to the surface of a stack up, e.g., coating. In some applications, an organic insulating layer may be a lower cost alternative to an inorganic insulating layer, which may require slower and more expensive methods to form the layer, such as epitaxial growth.
In some conventional applications, such as some conventional LCD displays, transparent conductor thin films may be deposited on stack ups that include organic layers. In these applications, the high temperatures that can be required to form some transparent conductor thin films, such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), can cause outgassing from the organic material, i.e., the releasing of gas that was trapped inside the organic material into the surrounding environment. In conventional applications that use both ITO and organic layers, outgassing during ITO thin film formation does not pose problems. However, newer technologies may require higher-quality ITO thin films that can be more difficult to form if outgassing of organic layers is occurring.